St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church


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From the Pastor's Desk


   

    Two angels were traveling together, incognito, sharing the Good News and helping God's people in need. One night they stopped at the home of a wealthy family, but the reception they received was less than cordial. The family was altogether rude.

    The meal was skimpy and instead of a guest room the angels were given a place in the cold basement to sleep. As they lay down to rest on the hard floor, the older angel saw a crumbling hole in the wall and promptly repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older replied, " Things are not always what they seem "

    The next night the two stopped at the house of a poor farm couple and their children. After sharing what little food they had, the couple gave the angels their comfortable bed to sleep in while they took to the living room floor for the night. When the sun rose the next day the angels found the farmer, his wife, and all the children in tears. Their only cow, whose milk was their sole source of income, lay dead in the field. The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older how could this have happened?

    The other cold and inhospitable family had everything, he said, and you helped them. This poor family has next to nothing, but was willing to share everything, and you allowed this tragedy to make things far worse for them. The older angel replied, " Things are not always what they seem. In the cold basement of the mansion, there is a large stash of old gold coins hidden in the wall, and since that family is already eaten up by their greed and gluttony, I helped them by sealing up the wall so that gold wouldn't weigh their souls down any further. Last night, as we slept in the farmer's bed, the angel of death awakened me. He had come to take the farmers wife, but I convinced him to take the cow instead. You see, things are not always, what they seem. "

    Sometimes, that is what is happening, when things don't go the way we think they ought. And like the younger angel, we need to learn to trust that God uses everything to our eventual good. We might not see it when things happen, but we will surely know the truth of it later in HIS heavenly Kingdom. Keep the faith.


Peace be with you,

Pastor Burkhart

 

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